The Terps look for their third consecutive win.
Maryland men’s basketball put together a signature road victory against No. 17 Illinois Thursday. Now it’s got to build off that momentum and keep winning.
The Terps’ road trip continues in Bloomington, Indiana, against Indiana Sunday, as they look to create their first three-game Big Ten win streak of the season. The Hoosiers come into the game looking to avoid falling into a skid.
Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET and the game will air on CBS.
Indiana Hoosiers (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten)
2023-24 record: 19-14, 10-10 Big Ten
Indiana enters Sunday’s contest off a disheartening loss to Northwestern, but less than 10 days removed from an overtime road victory over Ohio State.
It’s been an up-and-down campaign thus far for the Hoosiers. They’ve got a winning record both overall and in conference play, but five of its six losses have come by at least 15 points. But head coach Mike Woodson’s squad will return home for the first time in 12 days looking to establish some consistency.
This isn’t an Indiana team the caliber of Woodson’s early tenure, with Trayce Jackson-Davis leading the way. But it’s still one capable of making plenty of noise.
Players to know
Oumar Ballo, redshirt senior center, 7-foot-0, No. 11 — Ballo transferred to Bloomington after three seasons at Arizona and has continued to be one of the most efficient scorers in the country. His 65.8% field goal percentage is the highest in the Big Ten among players with at least four shots per game. Ballo also paces the conference in rebounds per game (10.2), while leading the Hoosiers in blocks per game (1.7).
Malik Reneau, junior forward, 6-foot-9, No. 5 — Derik Queen’s former Montverde Academy teammate missed five games with an injury before returning for 11 minutes against Northwestern. It’s yet to be seen if he’s fully healthy — but if he is, Reneau is a key contributor for Indiana. He’s second on the team with 13.3 points per game.
Trey Galloway, senior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 32 — Galloway is the primary facilitator in Indiana’s offense out of the backcourt. He averages just 7.2 points per game but leads the team with 4.1 assists per contest. Galloway has come off the bench in each of Indiana’s last two games, yet he’s been a big part of both games regardless, with at least 25 minutes in each.
Strength
Frontcourt offense. Indiana’s starting frontcourt of Ballo, Reneau and 6-foot-9 sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako is also its top three scorers. The Hoosiers can create action down low on any given night and in a variety of ways.
Weakness
Defense. The Hoosiers allow 72.8 points per game, the third most in the Big Ten. They don’t create much action on that end of the court, either, sitting in the conference’s bottom five in steals per game (5.9). Indiana has allowed 85 or more points in all but one of its six losses.
Three things to watch
1. How deep does Kevin Willard go into his bench? Even in a game that ended up a blowout, just four members of Maryland’s bench saw a combined 30 minutes against Illinois. With starters potentially feeling that fatigue, against a weaker opponent in Illinois, it’s worth noting if Willard will give his bench a bit more run.
2. How does Derik Queen look? Queen bounced back against Illinois, totaling 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals just one game after posting a season-low three points against Nebraska. Whether he builds off the momentum he created against the Fighting Illini or continues to struggle could be the difference between a win and a loss.
3. Important conference standings matchup. Both the Terps and Hoosiers currently sit at 5-4 in conference play, tied for seventh in the Big Ten. The winner of Sunday’s contest gets a critical boost further into the top half of conference standings.